Chlorine
by Threebranch
Summary: Wanting to have some space from the rest of his weird family, Lyle forms a garage band with Lemy and Bobby. This is an AU where LYLE comes up with the songs of 'Twenty One Pilots.' Yup.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note_: This is technically my first attempt at a Sin Kids fanfic, as well as a fanfiction SEPARATE from the 'Threebranch Fanfiction Multiverse.'

I only have the first chapter of the story actually competed in front of me right now. So expect the rest of the story to be very slow in it's updates. Quality is key.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1

"I swear, man. School is like my home away from home."

Lyle really doesn't find school all that exciting, but his lifestyle at home really can change his perspective on things.

He's talking with his half brother, Lemy, during their lunch period at the Royal Woods High School.

Lemy is what Lyle would call his best friend. They've been together through tough times during elementary and middle school, whether it be school projects, facing bullying because of their 'lineage,' or even all those Halloween parties, which were at school OR their house.

Nodding his head in agreement, Lemy speaks.

"I'm tired of hearing our sister cousins even speak. The way they talk is just… weird. They're all like 'daddy this and daddy that!' You know, I applied for three jobs last week, to get away from it all, and they still haven't called back yet!"

Lyle rests his elbows on the table.

"Face it, man. We're being discriminated against. I got an idea, though. Maybe we don't NEED a job. Not this year, at least."

"You're saying you got a solution for us?"

"While a job can only help us on certain days, a hobby, however, can keep us occupied any day. You love to play music and I love to sing."

"You're saying you wanna start a garage band?"

"Yeah. I'll be the lead singer, you're the main guitarist, and we can get Bobby to be the drummer."

Robert "Bobby" Loud is another half brother of Lemy and Lyle. He's in middle school but that won't exactly be a problem. Especially for what Lyle has in mind.

Lemy adjusts his headband a little to think about his brother's idea while Lyle subconsciously twirls around his long hair like he often does.

Finally, Lemy speaks.

"We'll need a bass guitarist. Just be prepared to get insulted by anyone who shows up just to mock us."

Lyle scratches his chin and grins at Lemy.

"Awesome! Let's aim for a spot at the end of the year talent show while we're at it! Heh! I guess I should be writing some songs then."

Lemy coughs, nervously.

"You… can write songs?"

"SURE! How hard can it be!?"

"Bro, songs are VERY hard to write. Suppose you DID write a half decent song and we end up NOT getting rejected at the tryouts because of who we ARE, will you even have a name for this band?"

Lyle stares at the lunchroom ceiling.

"Good question."

* * *

"So let me get this straight: you guys are putting together a garage band so you can get away from the rest of our crazy family, and you want ME to be the drummer?"

Bobby is in the dining room of the Loud House talking with the two brothers. Faint sounds of one of Loan's video games can be heard in the background.

"Come on, man. THINK ABOUT IT! We already have the space in the garage and I gave you drum lessons last year! What have we got to lose?"

Lemy was already on board with Lyle's plan and he's trying to do the same with Bobby.

The middle schooler clears his throat and speaks out.

"Look guys, if we put enough work into this band, I'm SURE we'll achieve… SOMETHING! I just don't think we have it in us. What MESSAGE are we trying to-"

"_**DADDY!" "DADDY'S HOME!" "DAD!"**_

The three brothers covered their ears. Their sisters are just WAY too happy with their father.

Taking his hands off his ears, Bobby speaks.

"Okay, it looks like I DO have some free time! Let's get started right away!"

Lyle smiles, hopefully Bobby's mother is okay with this. She works as a line cook and would probably want something playing in her head during those long work hours. Even if it's as something as stupid as any songs that Lyle MAY end up writing.

Now all he has to do is name the band, hire a bass guitarist that would actually JOIN them, and finally work on writing decent songs.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"**A DENIAL!**

**A DENIAL!**

**A DENIAL!**

**A DENIAL!**

**A DENIAL!"**

If you ask any student what the most popular band is at Royal Woods High School is, they'd answer 'Vocal Edge.'

Finishing up their cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' their lead singer, Bill Kinney, steps away from the microphone.

Behind him is the lead guitarist Jeremy Heffley, the bass guitarist Stuart Ferguson, and drummer Danny Shine.

"We love you, Royal Woods!" Bill shouted. "Good night!"

"Good night? It's not even 5 o'clock yet!" Said Jeremy.

"You know what he meant!" Shouted Stuart. "Great performance as always, Bill. Same time tomorrow?"

Bill scratches his head.

"Yeah… about that. I've been meaning to say that my dad got a new job that would make me move to the east coast. So that was our last gig."

"WHAT!?" Stuart is dumbfounded. He's been playing in Vocal Edge for two years and now they're just gonna break up just like that?

"Yeah, this band thing really isn't doing anything for me either."

Stuart quickly turns around to face Jeremy.

"You too, man!?"

"Yeah man. I've been interested in working with teeth for a while now. I wanna be a dentist. Band practice for me has only been getting annoying. We're not really… going anywhere with this, you know?"

"But…" Stuart is at a loss for words. He hates to admit that his friend is right and that garage bands don't usually get signed to a record label like they usually would hope for.

"Sorry man, it was fun while it lasted. We'll keep in touch."

Jeremy smiles at Stuart then leaves the school music room with Bill.

Now it's just Stuart and Danny in the room.

"Hey Stuart?"

"WHAT!?"

"I'm… quitting too. I always saw myself more as a comic book artist than a stupid drummer."

Not wanting to argue anymore, Stuart packs up his guitar and leaves Danny alone with the drum set.

Before he exits the school however, something on the bulletin board catches his eye.

_**A BASS PLAYER NEEDED!**_

_**A band with an undecided name from suburban Royal Woods is in need of a bass player for band practices.**_

_**A small chance of fame, in case of the band actually succeeding.**_

_**See Lyle or Lemy Loud ASAP!**_

"The LOUD family?" Mocked Stuart.

Like every other student at the school, he heard the rumors. Inbred bastard children running around everywhere like they're living in rural Alabama.

"_Not in MY CITY!"_ Thought Stuart as he took down the flier.

He was about to crumple it and throw it in the trash when something from inside stopped him.

Maybe they like music as much as he does.

"Well…" Stuart folds the flier and puts it in his pocket. "I guess beggars really CAN'T be choosers."

* * *

"**You say you want to try, but you never do.**

**Sugar, there's a reason why we lose.**

**You say you want to cry, but you never do.**

**Sugar, there's a reason why we lose."**

After watching the Loud brothers give their performance, Stuart just sits there with his mouth open. He isn't surprised. He's just trying to process what he just heard.

"Well… I'll admit. You guys are better than I THOUGHT!"

Lyle grins and high fives Lemy. The fliers were a good idea. There was also the fact that this guy was even willing to go to their garage to hear their music.

"But I feel like you guys can do WAY better than just singing songs that DON'T have copyright."

"Hey man, we gotta start SOMEWHERE!" Said Lyle. "We're just as disgusted in our family as you are. This is just our way to… you know… ESCAPE!"

"Hey, I'm happy that you DID choose music. I'm not saying that you shouldn't form this band. Music is a very diverse and inclusive activity and everybody deserves a go at it. Even inbred freaks like you two."

"HEY! DON'T INSULT MY BROTHERS!" Shouted Bobby.

"Sorry, little man."

"_LITTLE!? I'M IN EIGHTH GRADE!" _Thought Bobby.

Stuart continues speaking.

"Let's face it… you guys NEED me! With my bass guitar skills and any future… I wanna say _**'musical abominations,' **_but I'll just say songs that you write. I could be happier here than I was in 'Vocal Edge.'"

"Hey son, I need you to take out the trash. All your sisters are already busy doing…"

That voice came from Lemy's mother, Luna, who has been trying to find her son but couldn't find him in the house.

Stuart just stood there, he's heard of the sister-wives before but this is the first time he's ever seeing one in person.

"Ooooh. Lemy, I didn't know you had a friend over. I see you're trying to join my son's band. I'm Mrs. Luna Loud. It's very nice to meet you."

Luna extends her hand out to Stuart who just shakes his head.

"I am not shaking your hand, miss."

Luna just smirks and rests her hands at her side.

"I'm sure the rest of the family would love to meet you. Stay for dinner. We're having meatball sandwiches."

Not wanting to discomfort the newest member of the band, Lyle objects.

"Oh no, Stuart is just leaving. Aren't you Stuart?"

Immediately, Stuart snaps back at Lyle.

"Hey man, I haven't had a meatball sandwich in like… three years. You are NOT gonna take this chance away from me! I'm going in that house!"

* * *

"Sooo… Stuart, huh?"

Stuart gives Lincoln a mean look as he sips a can of soda. It's generic brand but it's the only thing he can find in that fridge to wash down that salty sandwich with. There's no way in Hell that he's gonna be putting his lips on any of their glasses.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"Sorry." Apologized Lincoln. "Listen, I really appreciate you being friends with my sons as they form this… band of theirs. They only had each other as far as I can remember and…"

"Hold it right there!" Interrupted Stuart. "I'm not a friend! The only reason why I'm even IN this stupid band in the first place is because the band I used to be in broke up! The first chance I get to be in a better band, I'm out!

In fact, why am I even talking to you? _**I HATE YOU!**_"

"Stuart! Stuart! You still here!?"

Stuart and Lincoln look up the stairs to see Lyle and Lemy rushing to them.

"We just came up with the PERFECT idea for the band's name!"

"Well it's about time! Let me hear it!"

"Okay, this will blow you away…

**Gloom Eclipse!**"

An awkward silence follows the band name.

"Gloom… Eclipse?" Said Stuart. Not wanting to misinterpret the name.

"Yeah, think about it. Eclipses are very rare, especially in the United States, right? People get ready WEEKS in advance to see one. They even purchase eclipse purpose sunglasses because normal sunglasses won't cut it.

So I was thinking, if we perform in the talent show, people can try to look at us like they want to look at an eclipse.

Indirectly."

Lincoln gives his son a thumbs up while Stuart just sighs.

"Well… I've heard of much worse band names before."

"Really? Like what?"

"Okay, two years ago, my family went to visit my grandmother in Plainview. I shit you not, there was a garage band that calls themselves 'Loaded Diaper.'"

"WHAT!?" Lincoln stands up in surprise.

"Who calls their own band Loaded Diaper!?"

"YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Yelled Stuart as he stands up agreeing with Mr. Loud.

Lyle was about to give a smug comment to Stuart when he hears something from the dining room.

Giggling.

His sisters and aunts are listening in!

Realizing what he had just done, Stuart speaks again.

"Okay, I'm spending WAY more time here than I should! I'm gonna split! I'll see you tomorrow after school, Lyle!"

Before leaving however, he takes a moment to finish off the rest of the generic soda.

* * *

_Author's Note_: Yeah, Gloom Loud doesn't exist in this Loud House universe, so I decided to just put it into the band name. I used a random band name generator until I found one I liked if you can believe that.

Also, I was planning to post chapter 3 of this story tomorrow but after looking at what I had written one more time, I realized that it still needs a little more work.

So expect the third chapter of this story to be posted some time on Sunday.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: _I don't own the Loud House or any songs of Twenty One Pilots.

I just like fantasizing about this stuff and I'm happy I get to share it on this site.

* * *

Chapter 3

'Lyle's First Song'

"Bro, I love you, but this is GARBAGE!"

It's late at night at the Loud House and Lemy just reviewed some song lyrics that his brother just came up with.

While Lyle normally shares his room with his sister, Liena, due to crowded housing arrangements and Loan's antics, she is currently not in the room due to… personal reasons.

"I know… I TRIED!"

Lemy picks up the song lyrics that his brother has written and reads them aloud.

"**I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard.**

**I wish I had a better voice to sing some better words.**

**I wish I found some chords in an order that is new.**

**I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang?"**

"**IT'S A START!"**

****"Lyle, a laundry list of complaints when writing songs is not a start. You know what? Maybe this whole idea of a band isn't gonna work out. We should just pull the plug on the whole thing."

Lyle however, isn't going to have any of that.

"I'll make my song better! I just need some time! I just need inspiration! Rome wasn't built in a day!"

"Fine, I'll check in with Bobby and Stuart in about… a few days. That should be PLENTY of time for you, right?"

"I'm also thinking I should be playing the piano during the song. You know, with Aunt Lucy teaching me about it and all?"

Lemy sighs, he shouldn't have been that harsh on his brother.

"Look, I'm not asking for a Post Malone masterpiece here. All I can really ask for is a song. ANY SONG! Since you claimed that song writing isn't hard."

He then goes to exit Lyle's room, his own room being just a converted lined closet just to the right, when he makes one more comment.

"Don't push yourself, okay? Maybe try to get as much sleep as you can first."

Sleep is a joke to Lyle. Having to hear all those grunts and gasps from his parents' room throughout the night can really drive a man insane.

How can anyone have so many sisters only to create a larger family with them?

It's gross.

He doesn't even know how his dad even works early mornings. It's gotta be something from Aunt Lisa that keeps him going and going like the Energizer bunny.

No offence to Energizer or its mascot.

With that joke still fresh in his mind, he covers up his ears with his pillows.

"_I had an innocent mindset once." _Lyle thought.

_I was no different than any other kid. Sure, I looked a lot more feminine but that was what made me stand out. That was back before Aunt Lucy told me that my existence was the result of forbidden love and that I was 'special.' I'm STILL freaked out!_

_Not just freaked out! I'm disgusted!_

_I feel… I feel…"_

Lyle sits up in his bed. The inspiration hitting him at full force now. Like he just hit a goldmine of creativity.

He turns on the lamp on his desk, giving the perfect amount of light in the room for his writing.

He's gonna need a LOT of coffee in the morning.

* * *

**(TWO DAYS LATER)**

It's now Saturday morning and Lyle feels like he's on top of the world.

He's in the garage with the rest of the guys, feeling pretty lucky that they're morning people just like he is.

"Okay guys, welcome to the first rehearsal of 'Gloom Eclipse.' I hope you're all as excited as I am!"

Stuart however, isn't amused.

"Tell me again why I have to play the stand up bass and not my personal instrument?"

"Because we all need to learn to step out of our comfort zones. You're LUCKY that we actually have one!"

Bobby mumbles to himself.

"I STILL can't believe what I keep finding in the Loud House."

Stuart overheard that.

"Hey, speaking of houses, is there any reason why the older sisters haven't… you know… moved out?"

"Umm… college tuition." Stuttered Lyle, not wanting to give Stuart the REAL reason why the older sisters haven't moved out.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense."

Lemy then speaks up.

"Okay, so Bobby gets to keep his drums, but Stuart HAS to play stand up bass and I have to play the flute?

WHY!?"

"Believe me. This song I came up with NEEDS the flute. You took lessons from Lyra, didn't you?"

"I only know one song on this thing and that's 'Mask Off!'"

"PERFECT! That will be our first song! A warm up song to loosen up the muscles!

We got all our instruments with us, especially my piano!

We got vitamin water over there in case we get thirsty!"

"Ooo." Stuart picks one up and observes it before putting it down; planning to drink it later.

"And we're recording every bit of this to put up online so we can get some views to our names.

Everybody ready?"

Stuart strums the strings of the stand up bass.

"Ready to get ostracized from our school and to hear you sing about Mollies and Percocets?

Yeah, I'm ready."

"All right! **And a one, and a two. And a one, two, three, four!**"


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: _I do not own The Loud House or the songs of Twenty One Pilots.

Also, a message to **greenman4044**:

When I completed my first draft of chapter 3 on my comp book, I did notice that it was pretty short. I have gotten some writing advice from Whimfu1 from 'Age Gap,' saying that 3,000 words per chapter is perfect to read on mobile. Anything under a thousand is not a story.

I told myself that all my chapters in all my stories following chapter 3 would try to be at least 2,500 words because I'm not making a romcom story. I understand why people like romcom and why it's the most popular genre not just in fanfiction but fiction in general but I just don't see myself writing one anytime soon. I'm more for adventure and platonic slice of life and whatever ideas and parodies pop up in my crazy mind.

Another reason why chapter 3 is so short is because I see it more as in introductory chapter and I have always imagined it ending when the band started to play their first song.

Say for example, that I decided to INCLUDE the full lyrics of 'Mask Off' and 'Stressed Out' or if I just describe Lyle, Lemy, Bobby, and Stuart waking up and getting ready for their day before they went to band practice. I just see it as lazy, boring, and unoriginal. It wasn't entertaining to me and I imagined it wouldn't be entertaining for the readers. Shortening the chapter to just the stuff people would actually READ instead of skimming over sounded like a good idea.

I didn't mean for this response to be this long.

In conclusion, I'll focus on making the chapters longer.

Thank you, and here's chapter 4 of 'Chlorine.'

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 4

"_**Used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money.**_

_**Used to play pretend, wake up you need the money.**_

_**We used to play pretend, give each other different names.**_

_**We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away.**_

_**Used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughing at our face, saying**_

_**WAKE UP! YOU NEED TO MAKE MONEY!**_

_**YEAH!"**_

Stuart is seen with Jeremy and Danny at Jeremy's place. They had Lyle's song, 'Stressed Out,' on his laptop.

The end of the song was sung by Stuart, who at the time, was hooked on the whole idea. The Loud brothers sang the last two lines with him.

"Look man, I'm just gonna go ahead and say this; this song isn't BAD!

It's got 10,042 views right now and that's not easy to get. It's only been online for two days!

In case you haven't noticed, we as Vocal Edge have only gotten around 600 views per song and that's after two weeks!"

Stuart is trying to process everything Jeremy is telling him. Looking at the numbers, he's definitely more popular with 'Gloom Eclipse' than 'Vocal Edge.'

He finds himself… forming a bond with the Loud brothers during that rehearsal. Having the opportunity to help create something entirely new to music really makes him feel more complete.

Jeremy continues talking.

"I mean… hell. Our most viewed song is our cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit." 1,000 views.

But that had a 50/50 like to dislike ratio with the comments mostly saying 'WRITE SOMETHING ORIGINAL!' Whoever this Lyle guy is, he has a gift."

Stuart laughs.

"What can I say? I needed to join another band and one JUST so happens to come along. You know what I feel like?"

"What?"

"I feel like _John Deacon_ when he first joined Queen… which was just called Smile at the time. He was a bass guitarist too!"

"You seen the Bohemian Rhapsody movie?"

"YEAH! Like… six times! Don't try me!"

Stuart then realizes something. He thinks about that movie again with the quotes that shown up in that one scene when Bohemian Rhapsody was playing in the background.

"_...meandering and meaningless…"_

"_... a song that should be sunk to the bottom of the sea and never heard from again…"_

"_...continues to come off as wannabe Led Zeppelin…"_

There was also that one time that he wanted to set somebody's grave on fire when he read that he posted an album review in February 1979, calling Queen _"... The first truly fascist rock band…" _and also writing, _"...The whole thing makes me wonder why anyone would indulge in these creeps and their polluting ideas."_

'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'We Will Rock You' were seen as _**musical abominations.**_ Today, he finds himself making music with three guys, two of them have parents who are brother and sister: abominations.

He may be on his way to fame.

Wanting to shake the negative thoughts of others from before he was born out of his mind, he asks a question.

"What about 'Mask Off?'"

"Huh?"

"Gloom Eclipse's cover of Mask Off. How many views did it get?"

Jeremy grabs his laptop and pulls up the other song.

"It's… coming up on 2,000 views now. So even when you guys do song covers, you get twice as many views as us.

Congrats, man. Your new band has ten times the traffic that Vocal Edge will ever have."

"I… I don't know what to say. All I did was lower my expectations when joining Lyle's band."

Danny then speaks up for the first time since the conversation started.

"You didn't look too bad with that stand up bass either."

* * *

"I'm not making widgets, Bobby! I can't keep producing songs like 'Stressed Out!'

Are you sure you really want me to use the same formula?"

Bobby glares at his brother.

"Formulas WORK! I like formulas."

Lemy stands up from his seat.

"Guys! I don't want us to be one hit wonders either, but do we really need to be arguing about this right now!?

Stuart is part of this band and he isn't here now. He's done so much for us, so shouldn't we get his opinion too?"

Bobby scratches his head.

"Lemy's right. I don't know WHAT I was thinking. Aunt Lori just made me do laundry because Loan won't do it. I had to go through a LOT of bleach. So forgive me if I sound like an asshole."

Lyle's head perked up a bit. For about two seconds, he had this faint idea for another song the moment he heard his brother say 'bleach'.

He put those thoughts aside to keep listening to Bobby.

"My mom heard the song yesterday. She LOVED it! She even gave us some money to go out to eat."

"Well that won't do us any good. We're banned from pretty much all the restaurants in town except your mom's and the Burpin Burger. And we STILL get mean looks from the people who work there." Said Lemy.

"Yeah… that sucks." Agreed Lyle. "I would KILL to have one more visit to Gus's Game and Grub."

Lyle pauses. He forms an idea in his mind.

"Hmm… one song may not be enough for them to service us. TWO songs however, there may be some heads turning our way."

"Bro, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying we're gonna need a LOT more vitamin water! Let's go to the Supermart!"

Bobby looks at the street. He comments,

"You and Lemy go, I'll just stay here and wait for Stuart."

"OH NO MAN! Last time I went shopping, you did nothing but complain about what I got! We're ALL going!

I'll just leave Stuart a note."

* * *

Playing with a DVD of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in his hands, Stuart starts speaking.

"1992, Wayne's World. Mike Myers was rocking out to the song, Bohemian Rhapsody.

2018, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mike Myers plays a character who LOATHES Bohemian Rhapsody.

'_... The kind of song teenagers can crank up the volume in their car and bang their heads to. Bohemian Rhapsody will never be that song.' _

When I realized that Mike was referencing Wayne's World, I laughed so fucking hard my dad had to pause the movie for LITERALLY ten minutes to see if I was alright.

I almost ended up in the fucking hospital that night…

_**ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?"**_

He places the DVD back in its case and looks at Loan, who is focused on her video game and wasn't paying attention to Stuart's small talk.

Noticing the movie in his hands, she stutters some words like she normally does.

"I… I don't… like… Q-Queen very much."

"WHAT!? _**YOU TAKE THAT BACK BEFORE I…"**_

Stuart was about to say 'take that controller and break your head open with it' when he stopped himself.

He thinks back to the dinner table where he had a chance to look at all the sister-wives.

Loan's mother HAD to be the one in the business suit. While Stuart still doesn't know her name, he probably will if he does anything to her womanchild of a daughter.

His dad would probably ship him off to a military academy or something like that where he'll have a uniform pinned on him, get a buzz cut, and be forced to say 'sir' at the end of every sentence.

While he doesn't know anything that happened in that God forsaken house nearly three decades before he stepped foot here, he made the conclusion that woman started some domino effect or some shit.

There are three more sister-wives that he made a mental note to himself to never piss off.

A brown haired coach who's obsessed with the color red for some reason, a blond haired former beauty queen who's obsessed with the color pink like Princess fucking Peach, and a scientist who's skills look like they could rival the most highly experienced people found in NASA or some other science organization.

He thinks about a quote from Freddie himself, _'You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think you could ever be.'_

With those calming words in his head, he takes a few deep breaths and tries to approach the Queen hater on a more civil level.

"Okay… I really would like to know one of your favorite songs… if you really think Queen is terrible."

"**Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru.**" Replied Loan.

Stuart takes a step back. No stuttering?

"Do you… like anything that's NOT from a video game? Like… something that plays on the car radio?"

Loan pauses her game and thinks for a moment.

"**Without Me by Halsey, either with or without Juice WRLD**. I-It's LITERALLY better than that song of yours… Stressed Out?"

At this point, Stuart is racking his brains.

In his mind, he pulls out his file on Halsey. He really doesn't have any complaints when it comes to her music. 'Nightmare' can stick with him for two days at a time. The songs she made AFTER that… well… he just has an open mind.

But what is this sinful abomination doing comparing a GARAGE BAND song to a song with over 300 million hits!?

And the L word.

"Hey, we may not have as many views as that multi-million dollar…"

"HEY STUART!? YOU STILL ALIVE, MAN!?"

It was Lyle, who just came back from the store. A bag full of vitamin water is in his hand.

* * *

"Hey man, don't let my sister's comments get to you. The only music I see her listen to is from anime."

The four guys are in the garage again. Bobby's trying to console Stuart, Lemy is strumming the strings of his guitar, and Lyle has a pen and paper in hand, trying to find some inspiration for his next song. Empty bottles of vitamin water litter the floor.

"Anime?"

Bobby nods.

"My Hero Academia, One Piece, The Seven Deadly Sins, Samurai Champloo, Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online, Inuyasha… ONE PUNCH MAN… um, let's see, Yu-Yu-Hakusho, Sailor Moon, Naruto, Bleach, Kill la Kill, and Cowboy Bebop."

After hearing that long list, Stuart felt dumbfounded.

"I don't know what half of those shows are!"

"Believe me man, Loan dragged me into watching ALL of those and I STILL don't know that much about them.

It's like she's hell bent on turning me into an anime expert or something.

She's all like… 'This literally has a great plot, this literally has the best fighting scenes, this literally has the cutest characters.' KEEP THAT SHIT TO YOURSELF!"

"Whoa. So it's not just with me, she says the word 'literally' to you too?"

"She gets it from her mom."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Overhearing their conversation, Lemy walks up to them.

"I hear you man. Here we are trying to enjoy this… _**roller coaster ride of teenage youth**_, where SHE should have gotten off twenty minutes ago when HER ride ended."

While the three were laughing at Lemy's joke, Lyle couldn't help but notice what his brother has said.

Comparing their situation in life to a roller coaster ride? Hmm.

Stuart then yells out to him.

"Hey, Lyle! I think I got a song lyric for ya!"

Lyle snaps out of his trance and looks at Stuart.

"Really? What is it?"

"Okay, here it is,

**Metaphorically, I'm the man…**

**But LITERALLY, I don't know what I'd do.**

You think you can fit THAT into the next song somehow?"

Lyle smiles.

"Oh, that's EXACTLY what this song needs!"

* * *

_Author's Note_: When trying to come up with this story during the time that I had no internet because of that storm that hit my area about a month ago, I did end up watching 'Bohemian Rhapsody' six times. It was on rental.

I never thought I would be as big as a fan of Queen as I am now. I could even consider this my personal tribute to Freddie Mercury, who died seven years before I was even BORN.

I ended up purchasing the movie along with other research material for future projects earlier today before I sat down and started writing this.

I spent about fifty dollars but it's worth it if I could make better stories for you guys.

Thank you for reading and look forward to the next chapter that's gonna come out next week.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"_**Oooooh, Oooooh, I'm falling, so I'm taking my time on my riiiiide.**_

_**Oooooh, I'm falling, so I'm taking my time on my…"**_

Lupa shuts off the video on her phone.

Even though her brother's song has nearly 20,000 views, she didn't care. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion.

Loan has anime, Lyra has gospel music, and Leia and Lizy are starting to show interest in singers like Beyonce, Rihanna, and Bruno Mars.

She herself is more of a fan of the oldies. Music that was playing during a time she would like to think that the world is a better place.

Lyle's songs however, both 'Stressed Out' and 'Ride,' she wouldn't place them in ANY music category.

Some of the lyrics just didn't make sense to her.

'_A bullet for them, a bullet for you, a bullet for everybody in this room._

_But there don't seem to see any bullets coming through?'_

Was that a reference to Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust?' If that's true, why didn't they just sing THAT? They didn't need to create an entirely new song.

'_We used to play pretend, give each other different names._

_We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away?'_

The only parts of her past that she cared to remember about Lyle and Lemy didn't involve them playing like spacemen.

An idea then crosses her mind.

If there was anything more memorable than a band playing together, it's the details of how it broke up.

The Smashing Pumpkins and Guns N' Roses had numerous drug problems. The Beatles crossed paths with Yoko Ono, and more importantly there's the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, then Paul left, sealing the nail in the coffin. Fleetwood Mac had physical fighting as well as constant changes. Nobody could keep track on who's in the band.

Exiting her room and walking down the stairs to get a snack, Lupa has her mind set on one thing.

Breaking up Gloom Eclipse. And she knows just how to do it.

* * *

"I gotta say, Watch Dogs 1 and 2 looked… silly to me. But Legion just feels much more playable."

Lemy is playing Watch Dogs: Legion with Bobby, Stuart, and a new guy who has dark hair and a developing goatee.

They're in the living room of the Loud House with Loan, thankfully in her room on her gaming PC. Giving the guys some time on the TV, for once.

The new guy speaks.

"The people who made this game just HAD to have learned from someone else's mistakes. They just had to!"

After watching Lemy play for a little while, slightly praising him for recruiting two more people for the resistance, he speaks again.

"Hey, uh… Bobby? Is that your name? Where is that… genius brother or yours? You know, the one who WROTE those songs?"

Bobby stares at the front door while answering.

"Lyle's in the garage right now. He says that he needs as much quiet as he can get when trying to come up with new songs."

"But isn't it getting hot outside? And didn't he see some of the neighbors getting their lawn mowers out?"

"Hey, I didn't say that he figured the whole thing out like he's some kind of…"

That was when Lyle bursts through the front door.

"OKAY! THAT WAS A STUPID IDEA! I GOT NOTH- Hey, who's the new guy?"

The new guy stands up from the couch to shake Lyle's hand.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you, man. I'm Dalton Knight. I was Lemy's lab partner in science class today. I really love both your songs, especially 'Ride.'"

Lyle smirks and shakes Dalton's hand.

"Well buddy, I'm glad to hear that. You know, I think I heard about you before. Aren't you that renaissance fair fanatic. So that means you're all about that… chivalry stuff?"

"Chivalry stuff, yeah. A knight must be… safeguarding the helpless, and do no wrong."

"I really wouldn't say we're helpless. We got Stuart. But I wouldn't mind some extra friends.

Now about your name…"

"Hm? What about it?"

"I don't want to keep calling you 'Dalton Knight,' um…"

Lyle looks at the pile of video games that are on the coffee table.

He sets his eyes on the 'Star Wars: Battlefront' game that came out the previous year.

"Jedi."

"What?"

Lyle smiles at Dalton.

"From now on, we'll call you… **'Jedi Knight.'**"

Lemy, Bobby, and Stuart look at Dalton to see his reaction to the new name.

He stays calm.

"Well then, _may the force be with me._"

"ALL RIGHT!" "YEAH!" "JEDI KNIGHT!"

The front door then opens, cutting their celebration short.

The father of the Sin Kids, Lincoln Loud, is in the house facing the five guys.

"Hey Mr. Loud. What's up?"

Stuart instantly covers his mouth, he's greeting a sexual maniac as if he's an average person.

"_Why did I just say that?" _Thought Stuart. _"He doesn't deserve SHIT from me!_

_That Ryan Gosling sounding motherfucker! Wait… that didn't sound insulting... OR accurate!_

_Let me try again…"_

Lincoln then talks to the guys.

"It's important to have a job that makes a difference, boys. Don't end up like me."

Stuart keeps thinking to himself.

"_Seriously? Why am I AGREEING with this bastard so much?_

_Wait… bastard? Is that REALLY the best you can come up with, Stuart? Reeeeeeeal original!_

_You never practiced writing… THAT'S the reason why you never write songs!_

_THAT'S the reason why you never get above a C- in English class._

_THAT'S the reason why you'll never get a girlfriend!_

_THAT'S…"_

Stuart had to cut his conversation to himself short when he heard the sound of someone speeding down the stairs only to see Lupa, who is dressed in equal parts black and yellow, rushing to meet her father.

"Hi daddy." Said Lupa before she leans forward and deeply kisses her dad on the cheek. Making sure that Lyle and Lemy's guests are watching in full view.

They… went wide eyed.

"I'm going to meet Liby and Lacy at the mall. There's a new shop that sells rolled ice cream."

Lincoln looks down at his white haired daughter and smiles.

"Rolled ice cream, huh? Well I hope you have fun."

Lincoln goes up the stairs while Lupa indulges herself with his… assets.

Dalton, or 'Jedi,' brakes the silence.

"You… just kissed your dad."

Lupa stops looking at the stairs and faces Jedi.

"What? You got an issue with that?"

Stuart jumps in on the conversation.

"No, we were just… observing…"

"What? Do you two think I'm fucking my dad or some shit?" Questioned Lupa, interrupting Stuart.

"We were NOT… implying that at all!" Answered Jedi.

"We definitely weren't… trying to go there either. Right Lyle?" Said Stuart.

Lyle buries his face in his hands. The truth is gonna come out and he can't stop it.

"Lyle?"

"WELL GUESS WHAT!?" Yelled Lupa.

"_**I AM FUCKING MY DAD!"**_

Lyle and Lemy groan while Bobby shuts his eyes.

As for Stuart and Jedi… they were looking at Lupa like she suddenly just grown six heads.

"We didn't even ask you that shit!" Screamed Jedi.

"Well now you know, bitch!" Insulted Lupa.

Stuart felt disgusted too, but it's not just disgust. He felt betrayed. The Loud Brothers were keeping secrets from him.

"We didn't need to know that!" He shouted.

Lupa decides to double down and rub it in.

"I'm having sex with my fucking dad! What's good!?"

Jedi speaks again.

"Are you… BRAGGING about that!? That's nothing to brag about!

WHY ARE YOU EVEN SAYING THIS TO US!?"

Stuart joins in.

"WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO LEAVE!?"

Lyle mumbles in his hands.

"I just want, whatever this is, to be over."

Lupa keeps bragging.

"WELL IT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN AGAIN FUCKING TODAY!"

"I just wanted to play video games." Said Jedi.

"OH YEAH! Well think about this when you play again. I fucked him for the first time on my TENTH birthday! And all my older sisters fucked him for their first times on their ELEVENTH!"

By now, Stuart and Jedi couldn't think straight, if at all.

To Stuart, it kinda feels like she's making shit up just to bully him and Jedi. But Lyle, Lemy, or Bobby aren't saying anything to stop her.

What is he supposed to do now? Call C.P.S.? She's gotta be at least 18 now and he can't exactly PROVE anything.

"THIS WHOLE THING HAS GONE DOWN SOUTH TOO FAST!" Shouted Jedi as he runs out of the Loud House.

Wanting to be anywhere except in the house where he's standing in, Stuart leaves too.

"LITERALLY!" He shouts, adding on to Jedi's statement.

Lyle shoots a mean look at Lupa, who just smiles and waves before heading upstairs to find her dad.

He tries to shout out to Stuart and Jedi.

"WAIT! GUYS! REMEMBER WHY I FORMED THIS BAND! REMEMBER WHY I… Ah, forget it."

He goes back to the garage, leaving his brothers alone to process what happened.

* * *

After giving their brother some time to cool off, Lemy and Bobby enter the garage.

'Lyle? You still alive in there?" Said Lemy.

He too was upset when Stuart left, they had a pretty good thing going for themselves until their sister-slash-cousin had to barge in ruining everything.

Bobby on the other hand, knew that the whole thing had to happen eventually.

Not even caring about whether or not his brother can hear him, he asks a question.

"So… is Gloom Eclipse a trio now? Because I don't think Stuart's coming back."

Lyle lifts his head up so Lemy and Bobby can see his face.

The wicked smile he gives off sends a chill down their spines as Lemy asks,

"Uhh… you alright?"

Lyle laughs then answers,

"I've never been better, bro. I just got this AWESOME idea for a new song! We'll sing it loud and proud to the audience who decides to GO to this talent show! We'll make Stuart SORRY that he ever left us!"

"Okay…" Lemy made a mental note to himself about his brother's face. It's similar to the one he made when he came up with the idea for 'Ride.'

"Show us what you got so far."

Lyle then starts playing with the keys on his piano.

Catching the attention of his brothers, he starts singing.

"_**All my friends are heathens; take it slow.**_

_**Wait for them to ask you who you know.**_

_**Please don't make any sudden moves.**_

_**You don't know the half of the abuse…"**_

Bobby raises an eyebrow, unsure of what he just heard. "Abuse?"

"Is this… Is this song a call for help?" Questioned Lemy.

Lyle stands up.

"When I first started writing songs, I was focused on just the words and the rhyming.

Now… I'm gonna focus on Gloom Eclipse's MESSAGE!

We don't like the family that we have.

Think about it.

'Closing Time,' by Semisonic; it's actually a metaphor for childbirth.

'Harder to Breathe,' by Maroon 5; the band's label was actually demanding the band to put more music in late into the production. That song was the result of their frustration. It's not a breakup song.

'Every Breath You Take,' by The Police; it's a crazy stalker song.

'Born in the U.S.A.' by Bruce Springsteen… it's not a patriotic song and it shouldn't be played with 'God Bless the U.S.A.; by Lee Greenwood during this upcoming Fourth of July.

'In the Air Tonight,' by Phil Collins… do I even need to explain THAT!?

…

…

'**Heathens,' by Gloom Eclipse; it's the song which we will shout out in one voice that we don't support the horrible sexual acts that our family commits night after sleepless night!"**

After hearing what his older brother had to say, Bobby just stands where he is with his mouth open.

Lemy takes off the bandana from his head and wipes the sweat from his face. He may need to change it for a more cleaner one when he gets back inside.

" But…" Lyle trails off. Brushing his fingers on the piano keys. "I'm gonna need to write the rest of the song first."

* * *

_Author's Note: _Yeah… I had to do a parody of 'The Marlon Webb Show' for Lupa's dialog for this chapter.

When I first saw Luke Flipp (Coincidence in the name, I know), act out his part, I knew I had to write SOMETHING about it in the future.

If you don't know who Marlon Webb is, check him out.

One more thing I gotta say, I honestly don't know WHEN I'll upload Chapter 6 of this story.

I work full time and I have other plans in my personal life.

In the future, I'll try to upload somewhere between Monday through Friday. Saturday's are dead in the water and Sundays are iffy.

When that time DOES come though, I will have another note prepared for you guys.

Until then, thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a happy Fourth of July if you celebrate it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, before I start typing this, I got some announcements for you all.**

**First, some bad news. Due to some conditions in my personal life that are beyond my control, I will only be able to post only one chapter a week in my future schedule until further notice.**

**The only exception to this will be next week when I finish this story. Only this chapter and two more and then I am done and I can move on to my next project, 'Things are Happening 2!'**

**That is the good news, 'Things are Happening 2!' and two other stories I thought up are in the works. About 150,000 to 180,000 words are in store for you all to read in the future. Possibly carrying on into spring 2020.**

**But today… we have a VERY SPECIAL GUEST CHARACTER that's gonna make his debut in this chapter that's never made an appearance after a very long time after being introduced in person in another fanfic.**

**So without further ado, please enjoy this chapter. See what you think.**

**CHLORINE**

**CHAPTER 6**

* * *

"Okay, it looks like we got some of our work cut out for us. We're REALLY gonna stand out in this show!"

The gang of brothers are at the tryouts.

Without a bass player, Lemy was pretty concerned about the new song that his brother came up with that they spent all day playing the day before.

That all changed however, from what he managed to see what they are all up against.

Apparently, whoever is organizing this talent show decided that it should be big. So students from the elementary, middle, and high schools were at the auditions. Kindergarteners singing to their teddy bears, cringey global warming poems, maybe a few clog dancers…

Lyle however, feels more concerned than excited.

While the three brothers were able to play their instruments perfectly during their many hours of band practice, 'Heathens' sure would sound a LOT better with a bass player.

He scratches his head. Reminding himself that the goal of 'Gloom Eclipse' isn't to get famous or even noticed, it's to provide a safe haven from those inbreeding freaks he calls his family.

Despite their actions however, Lyle still loves them as much as he loves his brothers. His sister, Liena, is a great painter and gardener, and his mother, Leni, is a very successful fashion designer who routinely works with other people in her field who live in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and Cleveland.

Even if they don't have what they have now, Lyle likes to think that he would still love them. It's just what they DO in bed that disgusts him. He's not even homophobic or anything like that.

If Gloom Eclipse makes it in the talent show, they will be watching and he's gonna have to give his best performance ever.

"Hey! HEY GUYS!"

Lyle recognizes that voice.

"STUART!? Ah hell, so you're gonna be competing against us!? I don't really want to win this stupid talent show, but it's three against…"

Stuart interrupts Lyle.

"No man, I wanna play in Gloom Eclipse again!"

"WHAT!? AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE HEARD LUPA SAY!?"

Heads are turning to Lyle's direction.

"But I've heard the stuff YOU had to say too." Said Stuart. "We wrote 'Ride' together, remember? It was the BEST moment I ever experienced as a musician. Only… FRIENDS can write a song like that…"

**(FLASHBACK)**

After having just seen Queen's music video of 'Another One Bites the Dust' and scrolling through the comments because Stuart asked him too, Lyle is seen singing in the garage with Stuart observing.

"'**I'd die for you,' that's easy to say.**

**We have a list of people that we would take.**

**A bullet for them, a bullet for you.**

**A bullet for everybody in this room.**

**But I don't seem to see many bullets coming through…**

**See many bullets coming through."**

He points at Stuart.

_"**Metaphorically I'm the man,**_

_**But literally I don't know what I'd do!"**_

"_**YES!"**_

Stuart and Lyle fell down to the floor laughing. Knowing that they just made something inspired by Queen.

Stuart shouts at the top of his lungs,

"_**GOD BLESS JOHN DEACON!"**_

* * *

Stuart continues talking to his now former band mates.

"You guys are like the brothers I never had… On MY dad's side of course. My dad can beat up your dad!"

Lyle nods. "He'd deserve it."

"Look, what I'm trying to say is that walking out on you guys was me basically jumping to solutions instead of thinking things through. I wasn't thinking then because of your sister's… you know."

"So you're saying we need to find a different way of solving problems?" Said Lemy.

"I'm saying we should come up with some new terms." Said Stuart. "From now on… we meet and play in MY PARENT'S garage. My dad said it's okay that we use it during the summer because he's a swimming pool manager and won't be at the house."

"What about your mom."

"My mom loves our music and would like to listen to us in person."

Lyle still has a blank look on his face.

"I still don't think I should let you in the band. What if you betray us again?"

"I won't betray you! For me, it's either this or working at the snack bar. I'll do whatever it takes to not go back home smelling like hot dogs and pool chlorine."

A lump then forms on the back of Lyle's throat. THAT word. First it was bleach, now chlorine? It's like it's calling out to him to write a song about it or something. But what's the song gonna be ABOUT? Pools? Laundry?

He dismisses his thoughts and speaks again.

"Well… you're a bit too late. We're not gonna perform 'Ride.'"

"What?"

"We made a new song during your absence. It's called 'Heathens.'"

Stuart bites his lip.

"Heathens? You're writing about religion now?"

"What? NO! It's none of your business what this song is about!"

"Oh come on man! PLEASE! I'll do anything!" Stuart gets down on his knees for dramatic effect. "LET ME BACK IN THE BAND!"

Lemy and Bobby focus on Lyle. They made Heathens without Stuart's help and letting him back in does seem pretty risky.

"Your call, man." Said Bobby.

Lyle then gets an idea. Since Stuart likes John Deacon so much…

"I'll give you a little test. Pass it and you're back in."

Stuart stands back up.

"Oh thank you man. I promise I'll pass! What do I gotta do?"

Lemy and Bobby look at their brother with curious gazes.

"All you have to do is… **finish a lyric.**"

Stuart laughs.

"That's it!? That'll be easy! What's the lyric!? I'll finish it in no time!"

Lyle laughs wickedly. This test is foolproof.

"Okay… here it is.

"**Ooo, you make me live now honey…**

**Ooo, you make me live."**

"OH! Shit… I…"

"What's the matter, Stuart?" Teases Lyle. "You like John Deacon, right? He made this song.

**Ooo, you make me live…"**

"_**I KNOW THAT!**_

It's just… your looks and all. It feels like I'm actually singing to a… Can't you pick something else?"

Lyle chuckles. Lemy and Bobby now decided to stand alongside their brother to rub in the humiliation.

"_Time to deliver the finishing blow." _Thought Lyle.

In unison, the three brothers sang the lyrics, thinking that Stuart won't finish them.

"_**Ooo, you make me live now honey…**_

_**Ooo, you make me live."**_

Stuart then swallows his pride and sings.

"**Ahh, you're the best friend, that I ever had.**

**I've been with you such a long time.**

**You're my sunshine.**

**And I want you to know that my feelings are true.**

**I really love you.**

**Aah, you're my best friend."**

"Hahahahahahaha!" Lyle laughs. "I can't believe you just sang that!"

The four guys then hear the sound of applause. The other people and their parents that are here to audition for the talent show. A reminder that Queen is alive and well within people's hearts.

"Woo-hoo!" "Yeah!" "Queen is awesome!"

Stuart laughs nervously while Lyle gives him a thumbs up.

"Good job. John Deacon would be proud. You're back in. Now let me tell you all about 'Heathens.'"

* * *

"**Why'd you come, you knew you should have stayed.**

**I tried to warn you just to stay away.**

**And now they're outside ready to bust. **

**It looks like you might be one of us."**

Having finished with his song, Lyle's gotta admit.

Despite hearing this song for the first time ten minutes ago, Stuart gave a fantastic performance with his bass guitar skills.

Exactly what 'Heathens' needed.

It's not just the guitar, it's also the times he randomly says 'watch it.' Is that something that he came up with on the spot?

He doesn't know exactly why but now the song feels more complete with Stuart.

He looks at the two judges that they performed for.

Nancy Nielsen, a drama teacher of Royal Woods High School for 32 years who also just won the 'Teacher of the Year' award because of her treating the students with respect. The job has aged her and it does show.

Then there is Mike Kendell, a music teacher who has been teaching at the school for 9 years. He has managed many different marching bands at parades for the previous five years and is recognized at the school yearbook for it. He's known for his voice, which has a louder tone that everyone just adjusts to.

They sat in their chairs looking directly at the band before Mrs. Nielsen broke the silence.

"Okay… that was… something I thought I'd never see."

Lyle speaks into the microphone.

"Hey, I want to improve my talent. Is there anything I need to work on?"

Mr. Kendell waves his hand.

"NO! NO! The song is fine! It's just… the way it was SANG! Are you feeling alright!?"

"I feel better knowing that I formed this band." Answered Lyle.

"I'll be honest with you. You did an excellent job with this song. If only my students have the same amount of passion in music as you do.

The song. The singing. The instruments playing. It's all excellent!"

Mrs. Nielsen chimes in.

"If I could just speak for a minute here. We won't make any promises! Anything can happen in this show.

But I think there's a very good chance that your song about heathens may end up winning you all the grand prize!

I guess what I'm trying to say here is… congratulations.

You're in!"

"YEAH!" "WOOOOOOO!"

The Loud brothers and Stuart cheered. Yelling, jumping up and down, and high fiving each other.

They are gonna put on quite a performance.

* * *

"**If you fuck with winning, put your lighters to the sky.**

**How could I make sense when I got millions on my mind?"**

Lemy is singing one of his favorite songs from his favorite singer while walking up the stairs to his room.

His favorite has gotta be 'Better Now,' but since Gloom Eclipse has been accepted into the talent show, he's singing the song that he thinks is appropriate.

Lyle and Bobby are hanging out with Stuart at Gus' Games and Grub, which they were allowed back in after an eight year long ban after hearing what Stuart had to say about them.

After having his fun, Lemy decides to turn in for the night and left at 8:00, with his brothers and friends deciding to leave at closing, which is at 9.

He sees himself as a morning person unlike most of his family and that's partly due to sleeping earlier.

"**I dreamed it all ever since I was young. **

**They said I wouldn't be nothing.**

**Now they only say congratulations.**

…

**Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation.**

**They ain't never had the dedication.**

**People hatin', say we changed and look **

**We made it, yeah…"**

He opens the door to his room.

"Hello Lemy."

"AAAAAAH!"

Lemy has walked into his room to discover his older and full blooded sister, Lyra, sitting on his bed in a rather seductive way.

"_Since when did she pick up the traits of Aunt Lucy?"_ Lemy thought.

"Singing the songs of the devil and then acting scared in front of your big sister? I'm hurt."

Lyra gets off of the bed and crosses her arms.

"Allow me to give you some advice when it comes to performing in that talent show."

Lemy gulps. While he has no experience playing music in front of large crowds, Lyra has been doing it throughout her late teens due to her love of the orchestra.

"That's… cool. Let me hear it."

"Don't."

"Huh?"

"Talk to your brothers and tell them that you're no longer interested in playing with them anymore. You don't want all the attention to get to your head. Spend some time with _me _instead."

It was the word 'me' that really sent a chill down Lemy's spine. He gathers his courage and answers.

"I can't do that! We've worked REALLY hard on 'Heathens!' Stuart just came back and made it a masterpiece! Did you even listen to that song? You KNOW why I can't abandon Lyle!"

Lyra scoffs.

"I DID hear it. It's terrible. It sounded like it belongs to a… lousy comic book film. A film about… super villains or something."

While Lemy felt a little hurt from his big sister's comment, he found himself agreeing with her a little bit when it came to the song belonging to a super villain movie.

Lousy movie or not, that would be a GREAT milestone for Gloom Eclipse.

"You're not changing my mind, sis. I'm playing and that's that! Why do you even care if I perform or not? It's a stupid talent show!"

"You want to know why? Because you'll push all of us aside so you and your brothers can focus on all your… fame."

Lyra takes a deep breath. If there's anything else she needed to say, she has to say it now. Eternity is at stake.

"I love you, Lemy."

Lemy blinks twice. What's this all about?

"Umm. I love you too, sis?"

"No, Lemy. You need to understand. I'm IN love with you. Just like our mom is with our dad.

I want to take your hand in holy matrimony."

By now, Lemy feels sick to his stomach. He always knew that a few of his older siblings looked at him in non sisterly ways.

He just never imagined that the one that was completely related to him also shared those same feelings.

He continues to stay silent when Lyra starts speaking again.

"Think about it brother. Our kids will look so beautiful…"

She extends her hand out to try to caress her younger brother's face when he slaps it away.

"_Our kids will be deformed and mentally retarded!" _He shouts. _"I don't want that and I know you don't want that either! You shouldn't have these… feelings!_

_**Now get out of my room!"**_

* * *

**(THE NEXT DAY)**

For Lyra Loud, there are very few things in this world that she loves more than her little brother.

As far as she can remember, she told herself to make Lemy smile at least once a day so that it would make her's.

She didn't care about the incest, she supports it.

The 23 year old smiles, she happily remembers all the times they held each other close in her bed during any thunderstorm that happened at night.

She was 14 and he was 7. It's only natural that kids his age are scared of thunder.

But he was also still a kid when he got over that fear at age 10. It broke her heart when she found out that she can't rest her head next to his beating heart anymore.

She sighed as she stared at the magazine covers while standing at the line for checkout.

While Lyra didn't like to go grocery shopping very much, (She didn't like the music playing there either) she had to because it was simply expected of her.

Loan is lazy and would probably pass out in the store due to the atmosphere and Liena got lost the last three times she was assigned grocery duty. Lyra actually had to drive to the store to find her.

The self checkout is also free to use but she just flat out refuses to use it.

Believing that the Devil or something takes advantage of people's greed and that made people lose their jobs… somehow.

That's the thing about automation in the workplace today: it just works.

The sound of a familiar song plays over her head from the ceiling.

"**BUT SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE!**

**I CAN BREATHE FOR THE FIRST TIME!**

**I'M SO MOVING ON!"**

Lyra flinches. She doesn't identify with this song at all. Now the sooner she leaves the store, the better.

This song is just like all the other songs that she thinks deserve to be forgotten. Just like Heathens.

Heathens.

That's what she would call all the singers that she believes are burning in Hell this very second.

Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, John Lennon, Bon Scott, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury.

She would have listed off more singers but she had to cut her list short due to overhearing a customer yell at the cashier in front of her.

"What do you mean my card's been declined!

Your LIFE has declined! Dramatically!

Look where you're working at!

I bet your mom's proud that you make six dollars an hour!

She probably tells her friends that you sell weed and mixtapes for a living!

_**Get your motherfucking manager!"**_

_**(AN: 1influential reference)**_

Lyra then notices the cashier's face. He looks like he's about to lose it and lash out in blinding fury at this customer at any moment but is restraining himself.

Suddenly, she gets an idea.

"_It's better to have a black eye and a bloody nose and MAYYYYYBE a broken rib or two than suffer an eternity of burning in hellfire._

_I love you, Lemy. I will save you from that horrible fate. _

_You will know God's desire for your life."_

Her eyes wander to the cashier's name tag…

**JOEY.**

* * *

"Who the fuck wears sunglasses indoors!?"

To say that life has been different for Joey Damone since he left high school is an understatement.

He's been working at the Supermart for almost a year now and day after day after day he finds himself having to forcefully hold himself back against everyday customers who annoy him.

Growing up, he's heard many stories about people getting into tens of thousands of dollars in debt because of student loans and was determined not to go down that path.

The alternative choice for him however, is making him think second thoughts.

"_You take out a loan… you pay it back. Simple. I don't need college… What will I be training to be… an… accountant? A manufacturer? That doesn't sound too bad actually."_

Joey continues thinking to himself while taking a smoke break outside. He's leaning on the hood of his car, which is parked far away from the front entrance.

"_All my friends went on their own separate ways. I KNEW the times we had wouldn't last forever! Surely they must be doing worse than I am. Pursuing degrees in… hm?"_

He notices a young woman with very long, brown hair walking directly towards him.

"I'm off the clock, miss! Talk to somebody inside!"

He puts his cigarette back in his mouth. The last thing he needs right now is somebody to talk to. Especially after listening to what that guy in the leather jacket had to say about him. And his mom.

Also, like almost everyone else in the fair city of Royal Woods, he's heard the stories of a large family that commit acts of inbreeding. He's fairly certain that this woman is one of them.

"The only person I want to talk to is you!" Shouted Lyra, who's still at a distance.

"How would you like to make over 600 dollars in one night!?"

That… caught Joey's attention. 600 bucks? That's more than nine days of work.

He gives Lyra a concerned look.

"Did… did you say OVER 600?

What exactly am I gonna be DOING!?"

* * *

_**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! **_

_**The events of 'Sin Kid Showdown' and it's sequel are NOT canon to the events of 'Chlorine!'**_

_**This is an ALTERNATE DIMENSION Joey Damone. Lacy PROBABLY had a crush on this guy six years before for like… only ten minutes until she reminded herself of Lincoln.**_

_Now that I got all of THAT out of the way, I would like to thank __**Captain Dodge **__for his permission to use Joey Damone in my story. I talked to him about my crazy idea about a month ago and almost immediately, he was on board with it. (At least in my perspective)_

_I came up with the idea of using Joey Damone in this story after I decided that there was going to be a talent show. I actually ended up researching a talent show scene in a book that I have actually purchased in a BOOK FAIR all the way back when I was in the 8th grade._

_**The Loser List: Revenge of the Loser by H.N. Kowitt,**__ was the book._

_In the book, there was this school bully named Axl 'Don't call me Morris' Ryan and I IMMEDIATELY thought of Joey Damone._

_Joey however, is a lot more violent than Axl._

_Look forward to the next two chapters that are gonna come out next week._

_Are you looking forward to it? I know I am._


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, guys. After looking over my outline a few more times, I realize that it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to upload the last chapter of this story this week. So I'm aiming for the 22nd of July for Chapter 8 right now.**

**In the meantime, before I give you this, I would like to share something personal with you guys.**

**Here's a list of all the Twenty-One Pilots songs that I have listened to for the very first time SINCE I uploaded Chapter 4:**

**Car Radio**

**Ode to Sleep**

**HeavyDirtySoul**

**Guns for Hands**

**Migraine**

**Yeah, it's embarrassing for me, I know. Anyway, here's the second to last chapter of Chlorine.**

* * *

"Hello, Ladies and germs.

It is FANTASTIC to be here!"

The Emcee, Mike Kendell, is seen wearing a glittery tuxedo with red high-tops.

He's speaking to a crowd of over 200 parents and family members, who have shown up to see their children, or siblings perform.

"Welcome to the Royal Woods annual school talent show! We've got a GREAT show for you tonight!

Jump ropers, yo-yo tricksters, skateboarders, ballet dancers. Even a local band is here with us!"

In the audience, Luna is seen playfully placing her hands on her husband's shoulders.

Her son and two of her nephews are gonna perform in front of an actual audience tonight and she wouldn't miss it for the world.

The only thing she's actually WORRIED about is her own son outshining her when it comes to music.

The other sister-wives and Sin Kids made it too. Driven by curiosity rather than pride to see the performance of Gloom Eclipse.

Among them is Lyle's older sister, Liena, who is carrying a thermos, and Lemy's older sister, Lyra, who just sits down with her arms crossed.

Her plan is entirely riding on someone else wanting money.

AND whether or not Gloom Eclipse will be performing early or late in the show.

"_I… did NOT think this all the way through."_ Lyra thought.

Back on the stage, Mr. Kendell continues speaking.

"So without further ado, I'd like to introduce our first performers… The Fringe Ninjas!"

* * *

From the backstage, Lyle watches the trio of Asian students run out with their rubber bands and toy swords.

He turns to face Bobby and Stuart.

"Well guys, we're scheduled to go on last. That means we have nearly three hours to ourselves before we go on. Anyone nervous?"

They shook their heads no to Lyle's question when Stuart hears a familiar voice.

"Hey guys!"

Stuart looks back. "Jeremy?"

Jeremy gives a joyful grin to the three members of Gloom Eclipse.

"What are you doing here?" Questioned Stuart.

"I just wanna go up here and tell you all… good luck. I love 'Stressed Out' and 'Ride.' They're the best songs that I've ever heard of in a long time."

Lyle laughs.

"Yeah… you're welcome for that. Look forward to our newest song we're gonna be playing at the end of the show. It's called 'Heathens.'"

Jeremy's eyes lit up.

"Heathens!? Well… if there's anyone who can make a song with a title like THAT work… it's gotta be you. I'm looking forward to it. Don't let the stage fright get to you."

He was about to turn around and leave when he realizes something.

There are FOUR members in Gloom Eclipse, not three.

"Aren't… there supposed to be… FOUR of you?"

Lyle perks up his eyebrows as he answers Jeremy's question.

"Huh? You mean Lemy? When he found out that we're performing last, he said he's going out to his usual place to smoke. I wouldn't be surprised if Lyra is out there with him right now doing her usual scolding."

* * *

If Lemy has a worst kept secret, it would be the location of his smoking place. A place that he usually goes to clear his head after having enough of the world around him. His escape.

Under the outdoor bleachers.

They're normally deserted this time at night. Perfect spot for smoking.

Bobby always had his mother's family to go back to, Lyle has had his various before and after school activities. And for Lemy…

His idea of getting away from it all is smoking under the bleachers and listening to Post Malone. There were times that he actually skipped class because of it.

He doesn't know exactly how many people will actually SEE him perform in front of a crowd. He does know his big, weird family is gonna be a part of it. If his mom ends up liking THEIR music more than HER'S, he has absolutely no idea what will happen.

Talent shows really don't get much viewer traffic, but if someone does something out of the ordinary in a talent show, like an inbred teenager starting a band…

He remembers seeing this video online about a band that played in their school's talent show and they ended up playing two songs instead of one like they were supposed to. Afterwards, the lead singer said to the viewers that he received death threats from the event organizer for throwing the whole show off schedule.

It's sitting at a little more than 3 million views if he recalls correctly.

Trying to imagine one-tenth of that number standing in front of him is unnerving. His mom gets a lot more people to listen to her songs and she just makes it look so easy.

Trying to calm himself down, he pulls up a Post Malone song on his phone.

His thoughts then go back a few nights ago when his sister confronted him.

If only Lyra had given him some ACTUAL advice instead of saying that she wanted to marry him.

He's STILL perplexed about that.

The only good thing that came from that conversation, however, is that Lemy reminded himself of a song that he hasn't listened to since he was fourteen.

A song that he feels is appropriate to sing along to at this time… since nobody's around.

"**Me and Kurt feel the same.**

**Too much pleasure is pain.**

**My girl spites me in vain. All I do is complain.**

**She needs something to change, need to take off the**

**E-e-edge. **

**So FUCK it all tonight.**

…

**And don't tell me to shut up.**

**When you KNOW you talk too much.**

**But you don't got SHIT to say.**

…

**I want you out of my head.**

**I want you out of my bed… room tonight.**

**There's no way I can save you.**

'**Cause I need to be saved too.**

…

**I'm no good at goodbyes.**

**We're BOTH acting insane.**

**But too stubborn to change…"**

* * *

Running through the instructions that Lyra has given him through his head one more time, Joey prepares himself for something that he'd thought he'd never do in his life.

"_Nothing serious. Just rough him up enough for him not to play in the show. He'll think about this ten or twenty years from now and he'll… see it as building character." _He thought.

Just rush up to him the moment he steps out from the back of the bleachers and run when he's done enough damage.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself while making his way across the field and towards the bleachers.

That's when he hears Lemy singing.

"**... Said you needed this HEART and you got it! **

**Turns out that it wasn't what you wanted!**

**And we wouldn't let go and you LOST it!**

**Now I'm a GONER!**

…

**I want you out of my head…"**

Joey's eyes then lit up for the first time for what felt like years. A spark reignited in a dark part of his mind.

"_POST MALONE!? I FUCKING __**LOVE **__HIS MUSIC!"_

Suddenly, the thought of beating this inbred freak up seemed foreign to him. This is another opportunity he WON'T go to waste.

He waits for the correct lyric…

"**I'm no good at goodbyes!"**

And then starts to sing his own personal version of Young Thug's part of the song.

"**I want you out of my life.**

**I want you back here tonight.**

_**I'm tryna cut you, NO KNIFE! I wanna slice you and dice you!"**_

Lemy immediately realizes that he isn't alone. Somebody else is singing WITH him.

Slowly, he walks out of his hiding place and focuses on this random guy with short, blond hair, gray eyes, and wearing a matching gray jacket that looks brand new.

This guy, whoever he is, is coming out from literally nowhere wanting to sing along with him.

He wasn't even PLANNING to sing the Young Thug part of the song. He was going to stop after the first part.

And now this guy is singing it for him.

"**You don't need a key to DRIVE!**

**Your car's on the charger.**

**I just wanna see the side.**

**The one that's unbothered.**

**And I don't want you to EVER go outside!**

**I swear I go out, my fears just all stop hiding.**

**I'm fucking her and the tour bus still riding…"**

The random blond guy smiles at Lemy. He then smiles back knowing they're thinking the same thing.

They then finish the rest of the song… _**together.**_

"_**I want you out of my head!**_

_**I want you out of my bed… room tonight! **_

_**There's no way I can save you!**_

'_**Cause I need to be saved too!**_

…

_**I'M NO GOOD AT GOODBYES!"**_

Lemy and Joey then start laughing together; which lasted a whole minute before Lemy finds the strength to speak.

"Man, you have no idea how HAPPY I am right now! Year after year after year, I couldn't find ONE person who likes Post Malone as much as I do! You just made my night!"

Joey stops laughing so he can talk back.

"Hey! You just made my night too! Everybody keeps telling me to listen to music from THIS decade. But here's the thing… IT ALL SUCKS! Hahaha! I'm Joey, by the way."

"Lemy Loud."

Lemy extends his hand for a handshake. Only for Joey to just stare at it.

"Come on man. Don't leave me hanging!"

"_Ah! What the hell!? It's JUST a handshake!"_

Joey accepts the handshake.

He speaks again.

"Hey, I got an idea. We should sing something together that we would NEVER sing in front of a crowd."

Lemy smiles at the guy who he now calls his newest friend.

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

"Well what's the point of putting the 'P' in the word if you're not going to use it!?"

Meanwhile backstage, Lyle is seen talking with his sister, Liena. Stuart is talking with Lizy and Lulu, two of Lyle's half-sisters. And Bobby is on his cell phone.

Liena, Lizy, and Lulu wanted to wish their family good luck on their performance so they were allowed in.

Lyle screws the lid back on the thermos of chicken noodle soup that his sister gave him.

"I know you've heard about silent p's before sis. It's CAM-bells, not CAMP-bells.

It just sounds fancier even though the soup itself is like… a buck-fifty a can. Damn inflation."

Liena now looks more confused.

"So you're saying that every time Mr. Campbell gets his privates sucked, it raises the price?" She whispers so no kids can hear.

This baffles Lyle. He stutters.

"W-what!? How did you come up with… I just lost a few brain cells there. I felt it.

HEY BOBBY!?"

"I'M ON THE PHONE!"

Bobby continues to speak into the cell phone.

"Yeah mom, I'm still here.

Look, don't beat yourself up about it. I understand that you couldn't make it here tonight because they're making you work overtime.

Heck, I'm actually kinda RELIEVED! I get nervous at the thought of performing with you in the audience…

Aw, don't cry."

While Bobby is talking to his mom, Stuart is having a conversation with Lizy and Lulu.

The 7 year old Lulu raises a cherry lollipop in the air. Offering it to Stuart.

"Thank you so much for being friends to our brothers! Seeing them happy makes us happy!"

Stuart laughs gently as he accepts the lollipop.

"Aw! For me? You shouldn't have. And it's cherry! I love cherry! Thank you!"

Suddenly, a very discomforting thought comes across Stuart's mind. He remembers Lupa's horrible message about how she and her older sisters lost their virginity.

He then recalls his early childhood. Back when he was just eight years old, his dad shown him something HE grew up with.

For a while, he then became obsessed with a certain, blue hedgehog.

He takes a deep breath. He's never SEEN Mr. Loud touch ANY of his daughters in any way.

Hell, he's never even seen him even CLOSE to any of them, save for that one episode with Lupa. If he ever has a daughter and she acts the same way Lupa does, he would want to stay FAR away from her any chance he gets.

"Lizy, Lulu? Before you go. There's something I want to talk to you two about."

He takes another deep breath. Then tries to remember what he heard all those years ago.

"There's nothing more cool than being hugged by someone you like…

But if someone… ANYONE… tries to touch you in a place or in a way that makes YOU feel uncomfortable… that's no good.

It's your body. Nobody has the right to touch you if you don't want them to."

His mind thinks back to Mr. Loud.

Maybe Lupa IS lying. She seems like the kind of person who would do it regularly. With her rebel looks and all.

Maybe Mr. Loud ISN'T a child molester; perhaps he's trying to get AWAY from incest from his daughters like any sane father would.

Lizy laughs at Stuart's statement.

"We know EXACTLY what you're talking about, Stewie! You don't have to worry about us!"

Stuart blinks twice.

"Stewie? Heh. Bobby, did you hear that? Your sisters called me Stewie!"

"_**I SAID I'M ON THE PHONE! GOD! WHY DOES EVERYBODY WANT TO TALK TO ME WHILE I TRY TO LISTEN TO MY MOM!?"**_

* * *

"**Hat down, cross town, livin' like a rock star. **

**Spent a lot of money on my brand new guitar."**

Joey then interrupts Lemy by singing the next part of the song.

"**Baby's gotta have it, diamond rings and Fendi sports bras.**

**Ridin down rodeo in my Maserati sports car."**

Then they sing together.

"_**Got no stress, I've been through all that.**_

_**I'm like a Marlboro man so I kick on back.**_

_**Wish I could roll on back to that OLD TOWN ROAD!**_

_**I wanna… ride 'til I can't no more!"**_

Lemy then decides that he doesn't want to sing anymore with Joey still focusing on the song.

"**Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road. I'm gonna…**

Hey, why'd you stop?"

"Joey, this song is great and all. I wouldn't be caught DEAD singing it; but I think I would like to go back inside now. If you want, I could show you the rest of Gloom Eclipse."

"Heh."

Joey takes off his jacket and lays it gently on the bleacher seats. His muscles becoming more noticeable through his dark blue plaid shirt.

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy singing with you, Lemy. I guess THIS, like all good things, must come to an end."

Lemy raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The original plan was for me to just run up to you and beat you up, but since we both like Post Malone, I decided not to do that.

YOU, Lemy Loud, are NOT going to perform with your band tonight. I'm here to make sure it stays that way."

For Lemy, if feels like his whole body is shutting down. Does this guy want to be his friend or not?

"So…" He stumbles on his words a little.

"You're saying that you'd rather beat my ass than see me perform with my brothers and friends on stage."

"Nah, nothing like that, pal. I'm sure you'd do excellent… but SOMEBODY thought the limelight was just too good for you."

Joey then notices Lemy's hands ball into fists.

"You know.. If I were to offer you some advice… You don't HAVE to perform tonight! Don't you have a Youtube channel or something?

This talent show can't be the ONLY thing going for you right now, is it?"

"The channel…"

Lemy looks down on the ground while Joey stands there with his hands behind his back, giving off a curious gaze.

"Hm?"

"WOULDN'T BE THE SAME!"

In a fit of rage, Lemy punches Joey straight in the chest…

Only for it to hurt him more than Joey.

"OW! FUCK!" Shouted Lemy as he tries to shake the pain off.

"Oh shit, that didn't break your fingers, did it?" Asked a concerned Joey.

"Why do you care!?" Said Lemy as he closes and opens his hand to check if he didn't break any fingers.

"Because I was told to break your fingers so you wouldn't play your guitar if I had the time. If I DID do that, I would have been paid $750, but to be honest, I don't think even YOU deserve THAT!"

After a brief silence, Lemy speaks again after processing everything he just heard.

"Seriously! First, who the fuck wants me crippled? And second, why aren't you, you know, CRIPPLING!?"

Joey shrugs his shoulders.

"While I can't answer your first question, I CAN say that you must have the greatest of luck since we BOTH love Post Malone. Watch this!"

"Huh? Watch wh-AAAAAH!"

Joey just hit Lemy with a sudden left hook to the stomach, making him lose his balance and writhing on the ground.

"My guts… feel like… they're on… FIRE!"

Joey then tries to comfort Lemy.

"Hey, you think you're the only one who's hurting here? I feel like I just hit MYSELF!"

He then kicks Lemy so that he lays down on his back…

And roughly presses his foot down on his chest.

"AAAAAAUUUGH!" Lemy yelled.

"You know man, just because I feel bad for that, I'm gonna tell you a little tidbit about me.

While I can't tell you my last name, I can tell you that while it does have an ITALIAN origin, it's meaning in GREEK is… _gentle._

YOUR name on the other hand, Loud, is quite the opposite. Strange, isn't it?"

Lemy looks up at Joey, he is literally under his foot, all he can really do at this point is nod.

"YEAH! You understand! Look, I know that you joined that band to try to put some distance between you and your family of _freaks. _I like that… No… I RESPECT THAT!

How about we just ditch this stupid talent show and catch a movie? My treat.

HEY… tomorrow when this is all over, you can play with Gloom Eclipse again. I end up collecting my second half and you get a new friend out of all this.

Does that sound like a plan?"

Even while under Joey's shoe, Lemy gives a nervous laugh.

"After… I punched you… you STILL want to be friends?"

"YEAH! You hurt yourself, then I punched you, then I'm here with my foot on your chest!

You punched me, yes, but it was practically nothing.

I mean… it wasn't like you were insulting my MOM or anything like that. Because if you WERE, then I'd REALLY-"

"aaaaaaAAAAAAAA!"

Joey stops talking when he hears a voice that sounds like it's coming right for him.

"Huh?"

He had no time to react as another guy jumps right on top of him, giving some light blows on his shoulder blades, forcing him to step away from Lemy.

Lemy quickly stands up and brushes himself off while trying to ignore the pain that Joey gave him.

Joey then manages to get a grip on the guy…

"You little…"

… and throws him on the ground.

"SPIDER MONKEY! Heh. Heh."

He laughs to himself a little, feeling like he just referenced something. He doesn't know WHAT he was referencing, but it had to be something funny.

Lemy takes a look at the guy who just had to play hero.

"Oh my god… DALTON!?"

Dalton looks at Lemy.

"H-hey Lemy. Why are you upside down?"

"Hey! I ask the questions here, Dalton! Why the hell did you come back!? TO HERE OF ALL PLACES!?"

"Okay, FIRST OFF… hold on."

Dalton stands up and points at Lemy.

"Okay… FIRST OFF… it's 'Jedi!' You call me Jedi or Jedi Knight from now on!

SECOND! I thought about what your freaky white haired bitch of a sister had to say and I REALIZE… she's gotta be bullshitting me and Stuart!

I came back to apologize to you guys and MAYBE get a backstage pass while I'm here. THEN, your brother, Lyle, told me that you were here.

I needed a cigarette anyway."

Joey then points at Jedi.

"Wait… say that again. What you said earlier."

Jedi blinks twice.

"I came back to apologize to the band for leaving them and maybe get a backstage pass?"

"NO! Before that! What did you want Lemy to call you?"

"Ugh. Jedi or Jedi Knight. I'm not even a Star Wars fan. It's a name Lyle gave me."

An open mouthed smile finds its way on Joey's face as he thinks of something funny.

"Oh my god. You… came back? AND... you want to be called… Jedi?"

"YEAH! What about it!?"

"So you jumping on me is practically the…

_Return of the Jedi!?"_

Jedi and Lemy both stare at Joey for making that reference, unsure of what to say.

"Get it!?"

* * *

While listening to a random sixth grader playing 'We Will Rock You' on water glasses, Luan sneezes randomly from out of nowhere.

"AH-CHOO!"

"Tissue?" Offered her daughter, Liby.

"Thanks."

* * *

**WOOOOOOOW! This is the longest chapter I've ever DONE!**

**Okay, I need to explain what you all just read right now.**

**The ORIGINAL song that I was gonna have Lemy and Joey sing is 'Damaged' by Post Malone ft. XXXTENTACION. I realized that Joey would most likely want Lemy to sing a less depressing song to try to avoid beating him later.**

**That was when I said, '**_Fuck it, I'm making them sing Old Town Road! I'll be a fucking hero!' _

**Just when I was getting started on the first draft of this chapter, Post Malone released a new song, 'Goodbyes' and I got addicted to listening to THAT!**

**Just one more chapter to go, guys. Let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay guys, when I first started Chlorine, I never thought that it would be almost 20,000 words long OR having Joey Damone, but here we are.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the last chapter of my story and I also hope to interest you all in my stories that I'll release in the future. Thank you.**

* * *

Joey looks at Jedi and Lemy and they look at him.

He looks at them some more and they look at him some more.

He then breaks the silence.

"Oh fuck you guys, that was funny!"

Lemy takes a step forward.

"Hey, we never said it wasn't! It's just that we'd never expect you to make that reference."

"So what now? Is it gonna be two against one or…"

Jedi then points at Joey.

"Hey, back off asshole! My dad's a cop!"

Joey then takes a step back. Unsure of what to say or do next.

"OH! Um… shit."  
Lemy then lightly taps Jedi's arm with the back of his hand.

"Hey, ease up on the insults, will you? This guy's a friend."

"What!?" Shouted a perplexed Jedi.

"Wait a second…" Jedi and Lemy look at Joey again.

"Your last name's Knight, right? Are you the son of Chris Knight?"

Lemy raises an eyebrow.

"Chris Knight? Is there anything you haven't told me yet, Jedi?"

Jedi scratches his head.

"Heh. Three years ago, my dad was in the Royal Woods park where he saw a grown woman sexually assaulting a teenager while his friend just stood there frozen in shock."

Joey then interrupts Jedi.

"**I **was that friend! Tyler… never recovered from that traumatizing experience. The woman was a complete stranger to us. It was like she attacked him for absolutely no reason.

That is… until the results of the investigation were made public."

Jedi waves his hand in the air.

"I don't want to hear about that shit anymore! Please!"

"Okay… Okay… I'm done anyway."

Joey walks over to his jacket and reaches in one of its pockets…

Pulling out a wad of cash and a single cigarette sticking out of it.

Lemy's eyes widened in surprise.

"WHOA! Is… is that…"

Joey takes the cigarette from the money and waves the money in the air.

"THIS! Is what's left of what your SISTER paid me to make sure you didn't perform at this talent show!"

Lemy then feels himself short of breath. His sister?

"LYRA! THAT BITCH!"

Jedi then gives a concerned look for his friend.

"Dude, what does your sister even DO for a living?"

"She manages a fucking Goodwill! A GOODWILL! But she has no good will for me! I FUCKING HATE HER!"

Lemy takes his bandana off to wipe his tears from his face as he sits down on the ground crying.

"Aw, come on man. Don't cry. How about I help YOU now!? Free of charge!" Said Joey.

He pulls a lighter from his back pants pocket and tries to light his cigarette…

Only for it to not be working.

"Damn. Should have gotten one of these before I came here."

Lemy stops crying to notice Joey having some trouble with his lighter. Standing up, he says,

"Oh my fucking god! Here! Take mine!"

Joey looks at Lemy in disbelief.

"Take yours? I mean… I won't say NO…"

"Take it! You know what!? KEEP it too! I have PLENTY!"

Now it's Jedi's turn to be astonished.

"... WHY!?"

"Believe me, it's a long story and one you wouldn't be interested in."

He faces Joey.  
"You wanna help? I'll TELL you what you can do to help! We're gonna get back at my sister for EVERYTHING!"

Joey takes a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

"What do you have in mind?"

Lemy smiles.

"Before Gloom Eclipse will play it's song, I'll have you and Jedi here properly introduce us. Don't worry, I'm coming up with something for you two to say right now!

Lyra will have no IDEA what she's getting herself into when she messes with US!"

* * *

"**Welcome to the room of people,**

**Who have rooms of people that they loved one day,**

**Docked away.**

**Just because we check the guns at the door **

**Doesn't mean our brains will change, **

**From hand grenades.**

**You'll never know the psychopath sitting next to you.**

**You'll never know the murderer sitting next to you.**

**You'll think, 'How'd I get here, sitting next to you?'**

**But after all I've said…**

**Please don't forget."**

It took quite a bit of explaining but Lemy managed to convince his brother to share a part of his song to Joey.

"Wow." Said an astonished Joey. "If I knew that the lyrics were gonna be THAT good, I wouldn't have said yes to Lyra's offer.

I mean… '_our brains will change from hand grenades?'_ I can't come up with that shit if I TRIED!"

Lyle laughs.

"Hey, if you're gonna thank anyone here, thank Stuart. Him being here with the bass guitar made the song feel more complete."

Joey then looks at Stuart.

"Stuart? Stuart Ferguson? You were in Vocal Edge!"

Stuart takes the lollipop stick out of his mouth and talks back.

"I WAS in Vocal Edge, until Bill decided to break us up.

THESE GUYS… are lucky to have me…

And I'm lucky to have them."

Joey nods in agreement.

"You know, I think I just learned a very valuable lesson:

It's to not judge others based on who their PARENTS are!

I mean… I'll still have my PREJUDICES… but everybody has them."

"Yeah, glad to have you on board, Joey." Said Lemy.

"NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT!" Continued Joey.

"I had some problems back when I was younger. I was cyberbullying people my age; calling people all kinds of names, making fun of their hobbies… I think I told somebody to drink BLEACH once…"

Lyle suddenly then snaps out of his train of thought. Did this Joey guy just say what he thought he heard?

Lemy is the first to notice that something is not going alright.

"Oh shit! Lyle, you're making that face again!"

Joey stops speaking to try to understand what's happening.

"Huh? What face?" He questioned.

Lemy then faces Joey.

"Every time he gets an idea for a song, he makes that face. I've seen it before when he came up with the lyrics for Heathens!"

He then stops talking as soon as he hears Lyle mumbling to himself.

"Drinking… gulping… sipping… sipping on… **straight chlorine.**"

He smiles.

"Lemy, get me a pen and paper, I think I just thought of something better than Heathens."

Lemy starts to shake his head.

"Come on man. Are you sure? I don't think we have the time."

Lyle snaps back.

"We have two and a half hours! That's PLENTY OF TIME!

I'll tell you… FIVE what, if you all like Heathens better, we'll play Heathens…

But if you like **CHLORINE **better…"

* * *

Mike Kendell is seen on the stage again.

"When Connor took the stage, I thought 'what can this guy do to make a first aid demonstration entertaining?' Well let me say, I think we have ALL learned something tonight!"

Lyra sighs and tries to sit up straight.

If Joey Damone had beaten up Lemy, he would have done it by now. No police or medical assistance had been called however, and she's starting to get really curious as to what's going on outside.

"NOW onto our FINAL act! I've just been told by the lead singer to…

Pass the mike!"

Lyra and the rest of her family then sit up straight. Pass the mike? For what?

What happened next, however, was astounding for Lyra.

She nearly stood up to shout at Joey Damone to go back outside when she saw him along with another guy who she doesn't know taking the stage while the other four guys including her brother were setting up their instruments.

"_I'm just gonna lay my head down until this is all over. I'M SCREWED!" _She thought.

"_Is that Joey Damone?" _Thought Lacy. _"Didn't I have a crush on him a long time ago…_

_AH WELL! I DON'T REMEMBER!"_

Leia just sits in her seat with her arms crossed.

"_I SWEAR, these guys are getting way more attention then they SHOULD!" _She thought.

Joey then speaks into the microphone.

"One two!

One two!

One two!"

"THREE!"

"I know what one and two add up to, Dalton! Thank you for that!"

The audience gave off a small burst of laughter at that.

Joey and Jedi smile again before Jedi speaks.

"We would like to take this opportunity to remind all parents to please keep all their containers of bleach, laundry detergent, toilet cleaner, window cleaner, et cetera, tightly secured and out of the reach of children and toddlers."

In the audience, Lincoln crosses his arms and thinks to himself.

"_Is this some kind of joke? How stupid does Lyle and Lemy think we are!?_

_OF COURSE all the chemicals are properly stored in the Loud House!_

_Well… I mean… ARE THEY!?_

_Okay, first thing I'm gonna do when I get back to the house…"_

Joey speaks again.

"With THAT being said, I would like to say that if any of you told me this morning that I'm gonna be up here on this stage here right now talking to you, I would have laughed.

I understand that there are a lot of people… myself included… who aren't up to date with the latest trends in modern music.

Anyway, Dalton and I here are very privileged to be introducing this band here.

Tonight, you will all get a chance to witness something… special.

Something… unique.

Something… _new._

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives us enormous pleasure to introduce this TALENTED band…

_**GLOOM ECLIPSE!**_

Performing their newest song… _**CHLORINE!"**_

Joey and Jedi then run off the stage to give the other four guys some room.

At his piano, Lyle takes a deep breath.

He feels nervous and he knows that it's the same for the others too.

This is their first time performing in front of an actual audience.

In his mind, he tries to channel the spirit of Freddie Mercury during his performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Sighing, he thinks to himself, _"Well, here goes nothing."_

Starting off the song, he presses down on two of the piano keys repeatedly until he hears Lemy, Bobby, and Stuart play their instruments as well.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity for Lyle, he starts singing.

"**Sippin' on straight chlorine…**

**Let the vibe-"**

"**WOOOOOOOO!" "SING! LYLE! SING!"**

The band immediately stops playing as soon as they notice Luna and Leni Loud stand up to cheer for their sons.

"OH COME ON! SIT DOWN!" Commanded their husband, Lincoln, who is just as irritated as the band is.

Since Luna and Leni were sitting on either side of him, he was able to force them down.

"Sorry! Carry on with your song, son!" Apologized Lincoln.

Lyle pinches his forehead.

"Okay… as if things aren't embarrassing enough! Let's try again!"

He nods to the other guys and they nod back.

They start playing their instruments again.

"**Sippin' on straight chlorine…**

**Let the vibe slide over me.**

**This beat is a chemicalllll, yeah**

**Beat is a chemical.**

**When I leave, don't save my seat. **

**I'll be back when it's all complete.**

**The moment is medicalllll **

**Moment is medical, yeah.**

**Sippin' on straight chlorine.**

**Loving what I'm tasting…**

**Venom on my tongue…**

**Dependent**** at times…"**

Lyra then looks up. What's this about sipping on chlorine?

Meanwhile on the sidelines, Joey is seen not being able to stand still to Lyle's song.

"_Yeah! I inspired this! I FUCKING INSPIRED THIS!"_

Lyle then sings the chorus.

"**Sippin' on straight chlorine…**

**Let the vibe slide over me.**

**This beat is a chemicalllll, yeah.**

**Beat is a chemical..."**

He then thinks of Stuart. Him rejoining the band when he finished 'Heathens' is what made him come up with a few of the lyrics.

"**Fall out of formation.**

**I plan my escape…**

**From walls they confine.**

**Rebel red carnation,**

**Grows while I decay…**

**I'm running for my li-iiiiife**

**I'm running for my…"**

"_Why is Lyle singing that he's running for his life?" _Thought Lincoln. _"I should talk to him if I ever get the chance."_

"**Hide you in my coat pocket,**

**Where I kept my rebel red.**

**I felt I was invincible **

**You wrapped around my head…"**

In the audience, Jeremy runs his fingers through his hair.

"_This isn't Heathens!" _Jeremy thought joyfully. _"This isn't Heathens AT ALL!"_

"**The last two lines may read **

**Incorrect until said.**

**The lead is terrible in flavor, **

**But now you double as a paper maker."**

Lyle looks away from his piano and stares at his dad in the audience as he mouths off his next lyrics.

"**I despise you sometimes, **

**I love to hate the fight,**

**And you in my life is like…**

**SIPPIN' ON STRAIGHT CHLORINE!"**

"_Wait… WHAT!?" _Thought Lincoln, unsure of what he's feeling right now.

"**When I leave don't save my seat, **

**I'll be back when it's all complete.**

**The moment is medicalllll,**

**Moment is medical, yeah.**

**Sippin' on straight chlorine."**

Stuart then softly sings into his microphone.

"**Let the vibe. Let the vibe.**

…

**Let the vibe. Let the vibe."**

"_I'll admit." _Thought Jedi. _"This isn't bad for a song that took only two hours to make."_

Lyle then feels tears gathering up in his eyes as he keeps playing. He never really thought he'd be here where he is now when he first suggested to Lemy that they should form a band.

He looks at his parents again as they watch him perform. Not two hours ago as he was piecing together Chlorine, he realizes that this isn't about escaping them anymore.

He's technically a musician now and he should write songs that have his own personal passion in them. Instead of writing songs just out of convenience.

His voice chokes a little as he sings the next verse.

"**I'm so sorry I forgot you,**

**Let me catch you up to speed.**

**I've been tested like the ends of,**

…

**A WEATHERED FLAG THAT'S BY THE SEA!"**

Lincoln gives off a confused look.

"_You've been… tested like a what?"_

"**AH-CHOO!"**

He then takes his gaze off the band and looks behind him. Standing near the exit of the auditorium is a man wearing a leather jacket and big aviator sunglasses holding a handkerchief up to his face.

"Bless me!" He yelled before running off.

"_Seriously? Is flu season coming early this year?" _

Trying to ignore the sneezing man, Lyle continues singing.

"**Can you build my house with pieces? I'm just a chemical.**

**Can you build my house with pieces? I'm just a chemical."**

Lemy and Stuart then start singing along.

"_**Can you build my house with pieces? I'm just a chemical.**_

_**Can you build my house with pieces? I'm just a chemical."**_

At this point, the only noise in the whole auditorium is the sound of the piano with Lyle playing his own original rhythm. For half a second, he felt like Beethoven.

Then it was all over… Just silence.

"_**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

Row after row after row… everybody in the audience stood up and cheered for Gloom Eclipse. Feeling like they have experienced something new, like Joey said.

Lyle, Lemy, Bobby, and Stuart just stood there, gazing at everyone, taking it all in.

While Stuart can see his parents as well as Jeremy applauding him, most of the attention on the stage is focused on the Loud family.

It's easy to see that some of them are more happier than others. With Lyra being the only one in the entire audience who isn't standing up.

Lyle then looks at his brother.

"We did it, man. We did it!"

Lemy smiles back.

"It's all thanks to you, bro!"

Not wanting to argue with him on stage, Lyle makes his move and hugs his brother in front of everybody.

Not knowing or even caring if anyone feels disgusted by it.

* * *

"**...She fooled me twice and it's all my fault…**

_**She cut too deep, now she left me scarred.**_

**Now there's so many thoughts going through my brain…**

**And now I'm taking these shots like it's Novocaine…**

**Ooo, I fall apart,**

**Down to my core…"**

Gloom Eclipse, as well as Joey and Jedi are seen celebrating at Stuart's house.

With practically no competition to face, they were named the grand prize winners of the show.

Right now, Lemy is singing another one of his favorite songs while Lyle plays the piano in the background with their friends listening.

"**Never caught a feeling this hard.**

**Harder than the liquor I pour.**

**Tell me you don't want me no more.**

**But I can't let go…"**

Joey then jumps in and starts singing.

"**I don't understand this.**

**You're changing, I can't stand it.**

**My heart can't take this damage.**

**And the way I feel, can't stand it."**

They then start to sing together like they're on the bleachers again.

"_**Baby, I don't understand this.**_

_**You're changing I can't stand it.**_

_**My heart can't take this damage.**_

_**And the way I feel, can't stand it."**_

Grinning to himself, Lyle then changes the song he's playing to throw them off.

Stuart then stands up from the couch.

"Oh my god! That's…"

Lyle smiles at Stuart then starts singing.

"**I've paid my dues.**

**Time after time.**

**I've done my sentence.**

**BUT COMMITTED NO CRIME!"**

Stuart starts singing.

"**And bad mistakes…**

**I've made a few…"**

Lyle takes his turn.

"**I've had my share of sand **

**Kicked in my face,**

**But I've come through!"**

"**And I need to go ON and ON and ON and ON!"**

Lyle then looks at the other four guys.

"**We are the champions, my friends!**

**And we'll keep on FIGHTING till the end…"**

Stuart, Lemy, Bobby, Joey, and Jedi then start to sing.

"**WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! **

**WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!**

**NO TIME FOR LOSERS!**

**CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!"**

Lyle finishes off the lyric.

"**OF THE WORLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…..D."**

After that long note, he starts to inhale some air.

* * *

While breathing out, he looks at the time on his phone.

4:17 A.M.

The celebration at Stuart's house ended nearly three hours ago but Lyle couldn't bring himself to sleep.

Now it's just him and his piano in the garage of the Loud House repeating just one new lyric over and over and over again.

He feels… empty now. He just won a talent show, but now what?

He gives off another long sigh and repeats again.

"**And now I just sit in silence…**

**And now I just sit in silence…**

**And now I just sit in silence…"**

He takes a moment to fix up his hair.

It's rather funny, the situation he faces, his room is too loud to sleep in thanks to his family, but the garage is way too quiet to relax in.

"**And now I just sit in silence…**

**And now I just sit in silence…**

**And now I just sit in silence…"**

Suddenly, from the entryway, he hears faint singing.

"_Silent night…_

_Holy night…_

_All is calm…_

_All is bright…"_

He recognizes that voice.

His mom. Leni Loud. Dressed in a seafoam green nightgown all of a sudden, singing to her son.

"_Sleep in heavenly peace…_

_Sleep in heavenly peace…"_

Confused and slightly angry. Lyle snaps back.

"What… are… you… DOING!?"

Leni looks confused.

"Huh? It's what you said in your song, remember?"

"Huh? What song?"

"'Stressed Out!' You were wishing you could turn back time and all that."

In his mind, Lyle runs through his own lyrics of the very first song that he's ever made.

"OH YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!"

Leni then laughs softly and sits down next to her son facing the piano.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" She said.

"Yeah, I can't." Answered Lyle.

"Look, I don't know if you're the right person to ask this, but do you ever feel… empty after creating something? Like something in fashion?"

Leni thinks for a moment then answers.

"A few times, actually. I remember back when I was taking care of Liena, who was just over a year old at the time when aunt Lori came rushing in the room we were in with someone calling me back. The company loved my designs and wanted to see me in person.

It wasn't until later, I found out that there were over 500 other people applying for a limited number of spots.

In all that happiness, there was also emptiness.

I achieved a goal, but now all of a sudden, I needed another one.

It was right then and there, I realized… I needed to set my own.

Establishing deadlines for yourself and keeping them sacred really DOES improve creative work AND it benefits the customers too."

Lyle now feels astonished at his mother's words. This woman couldn't even find the car ignition half the time she sits in the driver's seat and now here she is giving advice.

"WOW! Um… thanks mom. I'll do that."

Leni smiles at her son.

"Don't think that you don't have any creativity left in you, Lyle. I plan to teach classes about design when I get old and I fantasize about my future students hearing YOUR songs on their car radios as they make their way to the college."

They then share a laugh together before Leni speaks again.

"Try not to stay up for much longer, I don't want you to sleep through saturday."

She stands up to leave the garage, but not before giving a motherly hug to her son.

With his mom out of the picture, Lyle then stares directly at his piano again. New lyrics are now forming in his head.

"Back to work."

He presses a few keys.

"**I'm forced to deal with what I feel.**

**There is no distraction to mask what is real.**

…

**I could pull the… steering wheel?**

…**  
I have these thoughts so often I ought, **

**To replace that slot with what I once bought!**

**Cause somebody stole my… car radio?"**

He pauses. Sometimes his writing even scares himself.

That lyric from earlier…

He'll just sing that one and then try to turn in for the night.

"**And now I just sit in silence."**

**THE END**


End file.
